Witness says at trial she was a prostitute at 12

SHEILA BURKE
Associated PressPublished: April 9, 2012 8:45PM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A key witness in a child sex trafficking case testified at a federal trial Monday that she was led into a life of prostitution by Somali gang members when she was 12 years old.

The witness, who is of Somali descent and only identified as Jane Doe No. 2, told jurors that she was living in a Minneapolis suburb at the time.

The testimony came during the first day of a trial in Nashville at which nine defendants are accused of playing some role in a multistate ring.

The witness testified some gang members considered selling her for $2,000.

Defense attorneys have argued that the witness was a runaway and a party girl who concocted the story so her conservative Somali family could save face.